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Subcommittee ends without agreement after debate over refugee resettlement funding
Summary
A subcommittee of conference convened at 06:25 to reconcile House and Senate positions on a bill. Senate conferees said they accept a study committee for evidentiary evidence but oppose repealing the federally funded refugee resettlement program—saying repeal would cost about $1,000,000 in federal funding—and opposed removing a referenced hepatitis B provision. The hearing ended after negotiators failed to reach agreement.
A subcommittee of conference convened at 06:25 to try to reconcile House and Senate positions on a package of bills. A Senate conferee summarized the Senate’s stance and said the chamber would be "pretty firm" in opposition to repealing the federally funded refugee resettlement program, warning that repeal "will also cost ourselves $1,000,000 of federal funding." The conferee also said the Senate accepted creating a study committee to consider evidentiary issues in a murder case and opposed removing a referenced "hepatitis b" provision from the package.
The session began with members introducing themselves. Representatives who identified themselves during introductions included Representative Terry Roy (Rockingham 31), Representative Jennifer Rhodes (Cheshire District 17), Representative Steven Smith (Sullivan 3) and Representative Jim Cofall (Hillsborough 32). A House conferee noted that the deputy speaker and the speaker pro tem were present, underscoring leadership interest in the negotiations.
On the substance, the Senate conferee said the bill’s provision to establish a study committee on evidentiary evidence in a murder case was acceptable "as is." By contrast, the conferee said the Senate opposed two other changes that had been proposed: repeal of the refugee resettlement program and removal of a hepatitis B provision. On the refugee program, the conferee stated that the federal program "pays for it all" and emphasized the fiscal consequence, saying, "If we get rid of it, we will also cost ourselves $1,000,000 of federal funding will be lost." The transcript does not specify whether that figure refers to a recurring annual amount or a one-time sum; the amount was presented by the Senate conferee as the committee’s estimate.
A House conferee said the first point was "a good start" and asked for an eight-minute break so House conferees could caucus and meet in the hall. After attempting to negotiate the items, conferees reported they had not reached agreement. The Senate conferee closed the session, saying the lack of agreement "will end the hearing." The hearing concluded with no formal votes recorded in the transcript.
Next steps were not specified in the record provided. The conferees did not state a follow-up date or outline specific directions for staff in the transcript excerpt.
